Where's Jr?
by MsDevin92
Summary: Why would the Koopalings work for the creature that possessed their beloved King Dad? Update: added epilouge.
1. Where's Jr?

Where's Jr.?

"GUYS!"

CRASH! Morton Jr. practically lunged inside, throwing the doors open with such force that they nearly snapped off their hinges. In his hurry, he ended up tripping and colliding with Lemmy's rubber ball, knocking his brother to the ground.

"Gah!" Lemmy rolled over and sat up, rubbing his head. "What was that for?"

"GUYS!" Morton cried again. "You absolutely won't believe what's happening! It's terrible! It's horrible! It's-"

"Taking you too long to get to ze point, as usual," Ludwig cut in. "Vhat are you going on about zis time, Morton?"

"KING DAD!"

Absolute silence.

The Koopalings exchanged astounded looks.

"He's…_alive_?" Wendy croaked at last.

They'd been worrying ever since they'd heard that Bowser had actually _teamed up_ with the Mario Brothers and gone to a strange kingdom in pursuit of a witch. When they'd heard that the last seen of Bowser's Koopa Kruiser was a flaming hunk of debris hurtling through the sky, they'd been devastated.

But he was _alive_.

The silence lasted for about another second, and then there was a small stampede as they all tried to get into the corridor at once.

"King Dad! King Dad!"

"Hold on, we're coming!"

"We-"

"_SHHHHH_!" Morton tried to hold them back, kicking the door shut as he did. "Don't be so loud!" he whispered.

"You were screaming your head off a second ago," Iggy pointed out. "Why should we be quiet?"

Morton looked fearfully at the door and gulped. "So it doesn't find us."

"'It'?" Larry repeated. "What 'it'?"

Morton leaned over, looking even more nervous. "That…_thing_."

"Morton, ze vone time you stop being zuch a bigmouth, and right vhen ve vant _details_. _Vhat are you talking about_?" Ludwig hissed.

"It's…" He gulped again. "Not _really_ King Dad out there."

* * *

"Whaddaya mean, not King Dad? Ya just said it was, stupid!" Roy snapped.

"It is," Morton replied slowly, "but it isn't."

They all glared at him.

"It's…King Dad's _body_…sort of…but it's not _King Dad_." Morton seemed to be having trouble explaining it. "Like…like…Uh, Ludwig, what was that stuff they were talkin' about in one of your books, when someone, like, goes inside someone else and controls them and stuff?"

"You mean vhen zey vere being pozzezzed?" He blinked, caught off guard, and then it dawned on him. "You mean…"

Morton nodded. "Something's taken over King Dad."

* * *

They could hear the sounds of fighting outside as they huddled in the dark corners of the playroom, trembling slightly.

"I hope Aunt Kammy's okay," Larry whimpered.

Morton looked grim. "I don't think she can fight whatever that thing is. She told me to try and hide you guys, but…"

Wendy took a deep, shaky breath. "What _is_ that thing, Morton?"

"From what Aunt Kammy managed to tell me before it caught up to her, _that's_ the witch from the Beanbean Kingdom that King Dad went after. The Mario Brothers beat her, but she managed to possess King Dad, and…" He paused, shaking his head. "Now I guess she…_it_…wants the castle."

"What about Uncle Kamek?" Jr. asked, afraid of the answer.

"He's not here yet; he was still in Beanbean when it happened. He said he's coming to help, but he's not sure he'll make it in time…" Morton trailed off.

Then Iggy posed the question that they'd all been asking silently in their heads. "What do we do?"

_BANG_!

* * *

Suddenly, a section of the wall blasted open.

The Koopalings jumped to their feet, coughing and gagging on the thick smoke.

A horrid cackle drifted through the air, and they all felt their hearts skip a beat.

The voice…was Bowser's…and yet _not_ Bowser's. They could hear another voice, a hissing woman's voice, in that laugh.

"_Eya ha ha_! So, hag, is this where they are?"

The Koopalings kept quiet. Apparently, whatever-it-was that had possessed their father wasn't sure of their presence; in the mass of dark clouds, sight was practically impossible.

"_HAG_?! Who do you think you're talking to, you horrid witch?"

Wendy clapped her hands over her mouth. Bowser Jr. started to cry out, "Aunt Ka-", but Ludwig stopped him.

"_Eya ha ha_! You shouldn't talk to your ruler that way!"

"You are _not_ Lord Bowser! Let me go!"

"Just tell me where the Koopalings are, and I can promise no more pain will come to you. Why, just submit to me now, and this will all be much easier." The voice hardened. "Or we can continue to do things the hard way."

A long pause.

And then…

"_He he he he he_!"

A chilling, high-pitched burst of laughter erupted right in Jr.'s ear. Frightened as he already was, he couldn't stop himself from jumping and screaming.

The smoke was beginning to clear, blasted away by a pair of rocket jets. Those rocket jets were attached to a strange helmet. And wearing that helmet was a maniacally-grinning Bean in a ragged red cloak.

"Here you are being!" he cried. A toothy, mouth-like protrusion extended from the helmet and fired a green blast at them. The Koopalings scattered, stumbling on fragments of the blasted wall, and landed in a tangled heap on the floor.

"Well done, Fawful…What have we here?"

The Koopalings looked up, into the eyes of what had once been their beloved King Dad.

For the most part, it looked like the Koopa King: the spiked shell, the flaming red hair, the tough yellow scales. However, the body had undergone a few feminine changes, and the face was almost completely different: sinister pink eyes, a truly creepy smile, and a pair of odd bulbs in place of his horns.

In one claw it held Kammy Koopa. She was in a horrible state; beaten, singed, barely able to stay conscious. She bit her lip as she looked at them, and then glared fiercely at the creature.

"What do you want with them?" she cried.

"Why, what I want with the rest of Bowser's castle and army, of course," the creature replied. "To be part of my master plan, and my new kingdom!"

"WHAT?!" Roy roared, outraged. "Ain't no way we're workin' for a freaky _hag_ like you!"

"Yeah!" the others agreed, slightly emboldened.

"_Eya ha ha_! You shrimps actually think you can stand against the Great Bowletta?"

Iggy opened his mouth, and then paused. "Bow…letta?"

The Bean in the helmet laughed again. "Yes! I, Fawful, the loyal toady of the Great Cackletta, had the pouring of her energy into the Koopa who is King! Now the Great Bowletta will have the ruling over you, fink-rats! Any resistance is having much futility!"

After making sense of Fawful's broken English, the Koopalings turned back to Bowletta.

"You won't get away with this! Leave King Dad alone and _get out of our castle_!" Wendy screeched.

"_Eya ha ha_! _Why_ should I do _that_? Soon I will have this castle, these soldiers, and the destruction of the Mario Brothers!"

"And soon," Fawful added, "the world will be Cackletta's snack cake!"  
They would've laughed long and hard at this, had Kammy not recovered enough to zap Bowletta in the face with a spell.

Bowletta dropped the Magikoopa, clawing at her eyes and roaring in fury. Fawful, with a shout of, "Fink-rats! You will have the paying for that!" began to spray the entire room in bright green energy bolts.

It was chaos. The Koopalings were once again lost in a cloud of smoke, and barely managed to dodge the spells and blasts whizzing overhead.

"AUNT KAMMY!" Lemmy wailed.

"Kids!" They could just hear her voice over the racket. "Get out of here!"

"But-"

"NOW! Before-"

"_ENOUGH OF THIS_!"

And with that, the playroom was doused in fire.

* * *

They almost didn't get out in time. Singed and dazed, the Koopalings dashed down the hallway with Bowletta's shrieks ringing in their ears.

"You can't escape me, Koopalings!"

"What do we do if she sends that weirdo guy after us?" Iggy realized. Fawful's jets were much faster than they were, and they stood little to no chance of outrunning him.

"Over here!" Ludwig hissed, diving into an adjacent hall. The others followed, and, in silence, they waited…

And waited…

Nothing.

Finally, Roy broke the frightened stillness. "I…'tink we got away…"

One by one, they stood, looking around nervously.

"What now?" Lemmy whispered, half to himself. "With that kind of power, it won't be long until Ca- Bowletta takes over King Dad's castle."

"G-guys…?"

The note of sheer terror in Larry's voice caused them all to stop and look at him. The second-youngest Koopaling had tears in his eyes, and the color had drained from his face.

"…Where's Jr.?"

"_EYA HA HA HA HA_!"


	2. No Choice

No Choice

"_Where's Jr_.?!"

"_What did you do to him_?!"

"_Give us back our brother_!"

"_Let go_! _Let go_!"

The Koopa Troopas dragging the Koopalings to the throne room looked away in shame. They had tried to fight, but lost. And with Bowletta in power, any resistance meant horrible consequences.

Bowletta sat comfortably in Bowser's throne, her legs crossed nonchalantly, Fawful hovering at her side. Seeing her where their father had once sat, grinning as though she ruled the world, only served to further feed the Koopalings' anger.

"_YOU! Let Jr. go_!"

"_Let us go right now_!"

Fawful motioned at the guards, who dropped the princess and princes and backed away, hanging their heads.

"Now, now, Koopalings," Bowletta said smoothly. "There's no need to get yourselves all worked up."

Ludwig regarded her suspiciously. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really. I can assure you that Jr. is safe and sound." She grinned wider. "In the dungeons, that is! _Eya ha ha_!"

"_WHY YOU_-" Roy started at the abomination of a creature. "_I'LL TEAR YA IN TWO_!"

"_You shall not be talking to the Great Bowletta in such a way, fink-rat_!" Fawful spat, charging up a blast, but Bowletta calmly raised a claw and addressed the charging Koopaling.

"Attack and Jr. pays the price."

Roy froze.

"See? Things are much easier when you give in," Bowletta chuckled. "Don't worry. No harm will come to Jr. as long as you do what you're told."

"And vhat vould zat be?" Ludwig demanded as evenly as he could.

"Simple. The Mario Brothers will soon be on their way to this castle. Your job is to attack them."

"That's…it?" Iggy asked, slightly incredulous.

"Yes. You are to destroy the Mario Brothers. That won't be too bad, will it? You'll get to defeat your enemies _and_ save your brat brother's life! Now, if you lose…" She regarded them coolly. "If one of you looses, then you will be sent to the dungeons, and the next one of you will be sent to fight those irritating plumbers."

"And…if all of us lose?" Wendy gulped, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"Well, then you'll be out of my hair for good, and you'll probably have worn them down enough for Fawful and I to finish them off. No major loss." Bowletta smirked, and Fawful snickered.

Morton clenched his fists. Lemmy buried his face in his hands.

The Koopalings stared up at Bowletta.

The creature who had possessed their father. The creature that had taken control of their home and soldiers.

The creature who had their little brother.

They knew what they had to do.

Lined up before her, the Koopalings screwed their eyes shut and choked back sobs, but nonetheless chorused obediently, "Yes, Bowletta…"


	3. End of the Line?

End of the Line?

"_EEEEEAAAAGHHHH_!"

The Koopalings all jumped as Bowletta's scream tore through the air.

"_How- To such a filthy pair- HOW COULD I LOSE_?!"

_BOOM_!

Wendy peered through the cell bars and looked upwards. "I guess they beat her, then…"

"That means King Dad should be back to normal!" Morton, who had given up trying to break out of his prison after hours of fruitless tugging, jumped up, revitalized, and started pulling at the bars with all his might once again.

Bowser Jr. forlornly ran his claws across the bars. "But what do we do now?"

"Okay, that's all set up…Now to head up and meet them…"

"WHO'S 'DERE?!" Roy snarled, sounding as intimidating and gruff as he could.

"Wha- My word!"

There was the sound of hurrying footsteps, and a figure appeared in front of Roy's cell door. Even with his sunglasses, he squinted; the stranger had golden hair that was blindingly bright, despite the dim gloom.

"Who are you?" the stranger asked.

"Ve are ze Koopalings- Bowser's children," Ludwig explained, watching the stranger warily. "And you are?"

"Prince Peasley." The stranger hastily grabbed the key ring off its peg and began unlocking their cages. "You all have to get out of here, now!"

"Why?" Larry gasped.

"A bomb's been set in the castle. You have to leave before it falls out of the sky!" Peasley left out that he'd been the one who set the bomb; he didn't want to get on the wrong side of these Koopalings, especially with their time running out

Iggy stumbled out of his cell. "A _bomb_?!"

Peasley nodded. "Run!" he cried, and he did just so, disappearing into the darkness.

Just then, the castle shook. They gasped. Upstairs, they could hear shouts and stampeding footsteps as the guards scrambled to evacuate.

The Koopalings took each other's claws and started for an exit, but Jr. wouldn't budge.

"Jr., come on!"

"You heard that dude!"

"If we don't leave, we'll-"

"_What about King Dad_?" he cut in, and they all stopped abruptly.

A thin voice drifted down the hall.

"His…Majesty…is…still in the throne room…"

"Aunt Kammy!" Larry wailed. "Don't worry, we'll get you out!" He grabbed the key ring from where Peasley had dropped it on the floor, and unlocked her cage. "Let's go! Let's go save King Dad!"

Kammy looked between them and the exit despairingly. "But…"

"Aunt Kammy, we have to save King Dad. We _have to_."

"But how are we gonna get out of here? We don't exactly have wings, ya know," Morton pointed out. "It's not like we can fly out of here."

Ludwig snapped his fingers. "Flying…Zat's it!"

"What's it?"

"Aunt Kammy, how many can a Magikoopa's broomstick hold?"

"Two, maybe three people," she said. The rumbling was becoming more pronounced. "But it'll take at least four Magikoopas to carry His Highness, and there's no way I can carry all eight of you out on my own…"

"You von't need to. Round up ze rest of ze Magikoopas," Ludwig ordered, taking charge. "Ve're going to get King Dad, and once ve're out, ve hightail it out of here. Vait by the door to ze throne room."

She nodded, and, summoning her broomstick, spiraled away.

"Now to save King Dad!" Jr. cried.

"CHARGE!" Morton bellowed, and they ran up the stairs.

* * *

"To the Great Door! Hurry up! Move it!" Kammy barked. Even in her state, she was still capable of giving orders. The Magikoopas frantically rushed around, mounting their broomsticks. 

"You four are going to carry His Highness. The rest of you- take as many of the Koopalings as you can safely on board. You!" she addressed a Magikoopa who had just returned from keeping lookout. "How are things?"

"Most of the troops have gotten out, Lady Kammy, and we've spotted Sir Kamek coming up."

"Good…"

"Lady Kammy! Lady Kammy!"

A distraught Magikoopa rushed over, almost tripping on his robes. "We have a problem!"

"What sort of problem?" she said, her blood running cold.

"The castle is falling apart. The debris has blocked the doorways. The Koopalings won't be able to get out in time."

* * *

"_WHAT_?! IT'S _BLOCKED_!" Lemmy gasped. 

"_What do you mean_, _it's blocked_?" Wendy screeched. The castle shook again, worse this time.

"But we're so close!" Iggy threw himself at the pile of stones and began digging away. "The throne room is right through here!"

The others joined in, too, desperately throwing debris left and right.

"_KING DAD_! _HOLD ON, WE'RE COMING_!"

"_KING DAD_!"

"_KING-_"

* * *

The castle exploded. 


	4. Reunited

Reunited

"_AAAAAAAGGGH_!"

The Koopalings shrieked as they fell. Flaming stone and wood was all around them, and they could see the surface of the ocean coming fast…

"_AAAAAAAGGHHHH_!" Larry screwed his eyes shut and buried his face in his hands.

"_HELP_!" Jr. sobbed. "_SOMEBODY HELP_!"

"Prince Jr.!"

Jr.'s hand hooked on to something.

He lifted his head and saw Kammy floating above him. She took his claws and pulled him onto the broom.

The other Koopalings were safe, as well. Magikoopas came swooping over, scooping them onto their broomsticks.

Kamek snatched Iggy out of the air, and the Koopaling relaxed against him, taking a deep, ragged breath.

The two Magikoopa leaders nodded at each other.

Jr. tugged at Kammy's robe. "_Where's King Dad_?"

They all stared at the smoldering ruins of the flying castle, quickly sinking beneath the foamy sea.

No sign of Bowser.

"No…" he whispered, closing his eyes. And then he knew no more.

* * *

When he awoke, he was in their bedroom, back in Bowser's main castle on the ground.

A few Koopas were scurrying to and fro, making sure their sovereign were well after the explosion.

Ludwig was propped up against his pillow, reading a book, although he didn't really seem to be focusing. Larry had buried his face in his pillows. Wendy had a glass of water, but she was just twirling her straw, staring at the glass. Roy was facing the wall. Iggy had a hand over his face, as though the lights were hurting his eyes. Morton was stretched out sideways in bed, his claws scraping the floor. Lemmy had burrowed under his covers.

Kamek and Kammy were standing by the doorway, talking with a pair of Koopa Troopas in low voices. The Koopas marched away, and Jr. stifled a gasp as Kammy put her face in her hands, and Kamek put an arm around her shoulders, shaking his head.

His stomach twisted. The looks on their faces could only mean one thing. _Bad news_.

They hadn't found Bowser.

Kamek pulled Kammy inside, looking older and wearier than ever. "Kids, we-"

Most of them were crying before he could even get halfway through his sentence. Roy jammed his pillow over his head, trying to block out Kamek's words. Ludwig tossed his book aside and curled up into a ball, shaking.

Kamek tried to go on, but his voice wouldn't come, and he just stood there, tears welling up behind his glasses. Kammy made a choking noise.

And all of a sudden, outside…

_CRASH_!

"_AAAGH_!"

One of the Koopas jumped and rushed outside, almost colliding with a Koopa who was rushing _inside_. One of them muttered something, and they both jumped up.

"Sir Kamek! Lady Kammy!" one cried. "You- have- it-"

"Outside!" the other called urgently. "Outside! You- you have to see!"

"What is it?" Kammy snapped.

"It's- it's-"

The Koopalings ignored the harried stammering and strained their ears. Outside, they could hear shouts, screams, and…a familiar, roaring voice…

They knew that voice.

They hopped out of their beds and bolted outside, with Kammy and Kamek right behind them.

* * *

Outside, the courtyard was in disarray. A large cloud of dust had risen in the air, and Troopas were choking and stumbling blindly.

But in the center of it was a giant box. It had been bashed and battered by its crash-landing, and the Troopas were trying to pull it apart.

And poking his head out of the box, beaten, blue with cold, but happier than they had ever seen him, was…

"_Kids!_"

"_KING DAD_!"


End file.
